Motherhood | Lifestyle | Beauty

Periods, who needs em?

Hello ladies, gents, readers, followers old and new! We are mid week and again it seems the month of September is in no hurry to stay. Lol. I do hope you are having a great start to the month though.

In honour of back to school month, I thought I would talk about a subject which is typically not talked about much and still a bit of mystery/taboo to some. The dreaded PERIOD. You know, that thing that comes around once a month to upset us ladies in more ways than one, but yet very necessary in the grand scheme of our reproductive systems. And to think the government were going to put a ‘tampon tax’ on something we cannot help and is a part of life.

Growing up, I was very curious about what a period/ menstrual cycle was all about. I just didn’t understand where it came from (very naïve) and what its purpose was. I entered secondary school knowing the basics from a one off sex education class in year 6 and a quirky teenager book about girls growing up. My mother was one of those who made periods/menstrual cycles a bit of a taboo. We never really had a conversation about growing up and body changes, so when that fateful day came that I transitioned into ‘womanhood’ I was the biggest hypercondriac that you could imagine! Apart from being in complete shock that this had happened to me, I had weak/numb legs which felt like jelly and just kept telling my friends, ‘I can’t walk, help me!’ as if I was dying. Thinking back to it, I do giggle at myself as it was quite silly and really I was just overreacting. But hey, what is a girl supposed to do?!

As we grow up and become women, the buzz of periods/menstrual cycles wear off – quite quickly I might add, when the apparent bothersomeness of it becomes a reality every month. Feeling uncomfortable, keeled over in cramps, mood swings, acne and spots so angry you can play dot to dot with them and sugar binging are some of the things we suffer and could very much do without if we could. Just to make more interesting some of us have given that time of the month a nickname or two. Aunt Flo, Red river, the leak, menses, just a few code nick names we ladies give to that time of the month and a somewhat warning to those around us to beware of unusual behaviour that we may exhibit.

While we do not like going through that one week or so, it is very much a natural part of being a woman and what our bodies were made to do. With so much choice these days in the feminine hygiene isles in the supermarkets there is bound to be something that works for you. Always, BodyForm, Tampax, Lilets, Kotex, Tampons, pads, mooncups, etc, there is something for everyone. So young ladies out there, don’t be like me and feel like the world is coming to an end when you experience your first monthly cycle. Embrace it, accept it as part of your growing into a woman and if you are unsure ask a female you trust to explain what is happening. There are also sites you can visit if you want to read for yourself (find links below).

I hope this post made you laugh a little and reminisce a little too. We all go through it. Lets help each other and the younger generation to transition gracefully into our circle of womanhood. Got any funny stories? Would love to hear them. Drop me a comment or story in the comments section and don’t forget to like and follow for more updates and posts.